Looking to the Skye
by xxXEmmaCarstairsXxx
Summary: Skye Herondale is the daughter of late Jace and Clary Herondale. She lives at the New York Institute. Everyone who has seen her fight calls her one of the best Shadowhunters. Ever. But there are others who say she is too headstrong and reckless- because she's a girl. Her goal is to prove them wrong.
1. Chapter 1

As a Shadowhunter, even a young one, my life is devoted to the destruction of demons. Always has been, always will be. To the death.

But as a girl Shadowhunter, it seems that my duty is to kill demons and then not get credit for it. Or so it seems.

You see, I have worked hard since I first arrived at the New York Shadowhunter Institute. People at the Institute tell me that I am the best of my age. Maybe even one of the greatest ever.

However, I am Skye _Herondale._ Herondales are known for producing _male _Shadowhunters. Not girls. It's possible that I would be noticed if I was the only young Herondale. But no. I have two older brothers who live in Sydney and Idris respectively.

Yet I train hard, determined not to be outshone by my idiot brothers who 1.) never visit and when they do visit they 2.) remind me that they knew our parents and even dare as to 3.) tell me that Herondale girls can't be great Shadowhunters. In a way, they are right. I am always told that the Herondales are one of the greatest Shadowhunter families and that it's an honor to carry the name but all of those _great Shadowhunters_ were boys.

I want to change that.

-LINE BREAK-LINE BREAK-

_Wham! _The knife pierces the target board. Bulls-eye. Zoe whistles.

"Wow. And you say knife throwing isn't your strong suit."

"It isn't," I mutter as I grab another knife and take aim, "Thus the practicing."

Zoe watches as I release the knife and it flies towards the target and lodges itself on it. Dead center again.

"You try," I tell Zoe as I yank the knives off the target. She looks nervous, but that's just how Zoe is. She take aim and throws. The knife hits the outside of the middle circle.

"Not bad," I tell her, "I guess it's not my fault that I'm far superior to you."

She sticks her tongue out at me and replies, in a mocking tone of my voice, "_Knife throwing isn't my strong suit._"

I roll my eyes but I am not at all annoyed.

You see, Zoe Lightwood has been my _parabatai _for two years. We were best friends even before that. Our parents knew each other. Her parents were Isabelle Lightwood and Simon Lewis. Since Lewis wasn't a Shadowhunter name (Simon was-is-a vampire), they decided to give Zoe and her older sister, Ruth, the last name Lightwood. And it's kind of funny because her Uncle and my father were _parabatai_ too.

"What are you two doing?" says an impatient voice.

"It's Ian," Zoe whispered, as though I couldn't tell.

"I said, what are you morons doing?" Ian said again.

"Practicing. Is that some sort of violation?" I asked. I rarely had patience for the seventeen year old Ian Penhallow. Today was no exception.

"I never said it was," Ian replied coolly, "Anyway, while you two were _practicing,_ we had a new arrival."

"Who?" I demanded.

Ian smirked, seeming pleased that he knew more than I did, "No idea. Showed up at the door about an hour ago, all alone. He was bleeding heavily and he told us he was Nephilim. Then he passed out. Probably from blood loss."

I just shrugged. This happened a lot. About 90% of the time, the person either died or turned out to be a mundane or a Downworlder.

Zoe tugged at my arm, "Come on."

"Why?" I asked.

She looked incredulous, "_Why?!_ Because we have to see if he's really a Shadowhunter."

I exhaled loudly. It seemed that even Zoe was against me in this, "Fine. Where is he Ian?"

"Follow me, I'll show you," Ian said, beckoning for us to follow him.

He led us down the winding hallways of the ancient institute to one of the guest rooms that we had for visiting Shadowhunters. Ian gestured for us to be quiet and we followed him in.

Laying in the bed was a boy, probably around fourteen or fifteen with dark brown hair that stuck to his sweaty forehead. He was unconscious by the looks of it. The head of the institute, Ruth Lightwood, sat next to him, shaking her head.

"We might have to call the Silent Brothers," she told us, "He's not dead. But he's not waking up either. I could draw some healing marks on him but I don't want to risk it. It's possible that he isn't a Shadowhunter."

I followed Zoe over to the side of the bed where Ruth was. The boy looked very pale up close. But nothing out of the ordinary. Then I noticed the silver ring around his middle finger. Frowning, I reached for it. I tried to pull it off from the boy's finger as gently as possible but just before I could get it out, his other hand flew to it and he woke up with a shout.

"Jesus!" I shouted, "Were you even unconscious to begin with?"

He frowned at me, "Are you Nephilim?" He had a slight British tint to his voice.

I crossed my arms over my chest, "Duh. What are you? Pond scum?"

I felt Zoe's hand graze my shoulder, "Be nice Skye. He didn't do anything to you."

I ignored her, "So? What are you?"

The boy was undaunted, "I am Nephilim too. My name is Edwin Branwell. Call me Eddie. And pray tell, what is your name?"

"Skye Herondale." I replied stoutly.

Eddie's face turned-if possible-paler. But he did not say anything, "And who are your compatriots?"

"What the hell are compatriots?" I asked.

Zoe butted in before Eddie could answer, "I am Zoe Lightwood and this is my sister, Ruth Lightwood," she said, pointing to Ruth, "And that's Ian Penhallow. We're all Shadowhunters."

"So," I said, absentmindedly toying with a knife at my belt ,"What kind of Downworlder are you? Werewolf? Warlock? Definitely not a vampire."

Eddie gritted his teeth, "I'm not a Downworlder. I'm the son of Joshua and Beth Branwell of London. See?" he said, shoving his wrist in my face. On it was the Voyance Rune that all Shadowhunters have. Well there went my argument.

"Whatever. Besides, why are you here anyway? You should have stayed in London."

"I can't stay in London!" Eddie yelled.

I opened my mouth to make a snappy comeback but Zoe butted in.

"Shut up Skye. The poor kid almost bled to death earlier."

"I've almost bled to death several times." I replied calmly.

"I'm not a kid." Eddie told Zoe angrily, "I'm fifteen!"

Ian laughed, "That's older than Skye."

I made a face. Yep. I'm the youngest one at the New York Institute. A sore point for me. I'm fourteen. The next oldest is Zoe. She's fifteen.

"That's beside the point." Ruth put in, "Zoe, Skye, Ian- out. I need to ask Eddie some questions and it will be very hard to do so with you three butting in all the time. Go. Now."

Ian and Zoe walk out obediently. I want to argue with Ruth but I will lose for sure if I don't have someone backing me up. So, I huff and reluctantly follow Zoe and Ian out the door.

When we are outside, Zoe gives me a look.

"What?" I say angrily, "I swear it wasn't me this time. It's usually me, but this time, I swear on the Angel it wasn't!"

Ian gives muffled snort but like usual, displays a uncanny ability to transform it into a cough.

"I'll be in my room," he says and then scampers off, leaving Zoe and I alone in the hallway. Both of us angry.

"You're right," Zoe says with a tone of disgust, "It's always you. Do you ever think about other people? My sister is only twenty one! Give her some slack! You know very well that she's doing her best."

I regard her calmly, "I hold your sister in high esteem. I would never purposely mess something up for her."

Zoe throws her hands up, "Skye. You're my closest friend. My _parabatai._ And I do not regret becoming so. But sometimes, you are such a child!"

With that, she huffs and runs off. Probably after Ian.

Meanwhile, I sigh and walk to my room. I can't help thinking how quiet the Institute was. Everyone was here, well except for Ian's _parabatai, _Nate Whitelaw and Ruth's boyfriend Jacob Highsmith. But for some reason, everything was silent. No noise. No clanging of seraph blades in the training room. The only sound was the hushed voice of Ruth as she talked to Eddie.

I am still contemplating the reason of the silence when Ruth knocks on my door.

"Skye," she calls, "Can you come to Eddie's room? I need some help."

I frown. Ruth is a fairly independent person. I don't think she's ever asked for my help. Still frowning, I open the door.

I almost laugh. Ruth, who is usually organized and orderly and neat, looks messier than I have ever seen her. Her usually neatly braided black hair is sticking out of its braid every which way. Her black sweater is unbuttoned. Overall, she looks frazzled.

"What's the matter with you?" I ask Ruth.

"It's uh, oh, well, you'll see," Ruth says. And then under her breath, "God, I wish Jacob was here."

Jacob normally helps her run the Institute. But he is on leave in Idris along with Nate Whitelaw.

Ruth brings me to Eddie's room and opens the door. Eddie is sitting up which is good. His face is still pale but I'm beginning to think that it's always like that. He straightens up when he sees me.

"Tell her," Ruth says hoarsely, "What you told me."

Eddie nods and turns quite seriously to me, "Until recently, I lived at the York Institute. A very old and fine institute. But badly run. We never had a formal trainer. There were five of us, we British Shadowhunter families. Me, my sister Susan, Wilson Ravenscar, Lucy Verlac, and Sam Lovelace."

My breath catches, "_Lovelace."_

Eddie looks mildly surprised, "Yes, that's the same reaction that Ruth had. Are you not familiar with the Lovelace family? Stayed away from Shadowhunting for years. But Sam wanted to train with us."

"Eddie," I say cautiously, "Who are Sam's parents?"

"Hmm. I know one was a mundane. But his mom… some fancy name. Started with a J. Juliet? No, that wasn't it."

I take a shot at it, "Was it perhaps Jessamine?"

Eddie gives me a funny look, "Yes, I believe it was. Funny name, really. But she never came to visit Sam. He told me that she despised being a Shadowhunter. Hated it with all of her heart. But never said why."

I shoot Ruth a look then turn back to Eddie, "I've read all of the Shadowhunter record books in the library. And Lovelace is a Shadowhunter family. You are correct in saying that they stayed away from Shadowhunting but the thing is…" I take a deep breath, "The thing is, the last known member of the family died in the mid 1800's. Her name was Jessamine Lovelace."

Eddie's mouth forms into an "O" of surprise, "But… Sam's not that old. He's only sixteen!"

I roll my eyes, "Eddie you moron, Jessamine _died._ Somehow, someway, she must have come back to life or something."

"Or something…" Ruth mutters.

"Not helping," I tell her, "But we need to solve this. I can go through all of the record books again, see if I can find out something about the Lovelaces'. In the mean time, we should contact the Clave."

Ruth's face turns stark white at my mention of the Clave, "No! We cannot tell the Clave about this." I open my mouth to ask why but Ruth plows right through my unspoken words.

"I can't explain right now, okay? Just don't tell them. Swear not to tell the Clave. Both of you."

I look at Eddie and shrug, "I trust you Ruth. So yes, I swear not to tell."

Eddie nods, "For the sake of this Institute and Sam, I swear not to tell."

"Good," Ruth says, "Now, I must go call Jacob. I will tell him to bring Nate back."

"Why?" I ask.

Ruth smiles weakly, "Something tells me we're going to need all the help we can get." Then she leaves. Eddie watches her go. After she leaves, he turns to me.

"Who's Jacob? And who's Nate?" he asks.

"Jacob Highsmith is Ruth's boyfriend. He helps run the Institute. Nate Whitelaw is Ian's _parabatai._" I reply.

Eddie nods, "Is Nate Zoe's boyfriend?"

I laugh, "No. What makes you think that?"

Eddie shrugs, "Don't know. Is he your boyfriend?"

This makes me laugh harder, "No way."

Eddie looks thoughtful, "Is he uh, gay?"

"No. He's single. Is that a crime?"

"I suppose not, but where I come from, most Shadowhunter boys have girlfriends. I guess it's their way of saying 'hey I'm a man now'" Eddie replies.

"Did you have a girlfriend?" I ask. It seems to be a reasonable question.

Eddies makes a face, "I did. Until Wilson had to butt his fat ass into my life."

"What do you mean?"

"It all happened last year. It was just me, Susan, Sam, and Lucy at my Institute. I was dating Lucy. Sam was dating Susan. I was happy. But then Wilson Ravenscar showed up." I could tell from the way Eddie talked that he held a deep hatred for Wilson, "I could tell that Lucy liked him. A lot. More than she liked me, anyway. He was handsome and tall and everything else I wasn't. One night, I walked in on he and Lucy kissing."

"Oh!" I say. There isn't much else to say.

"Yeah, that's what I said. Lucy tried to apologize afterwards of course and I forgave her but our relationship was done."

"How could you forgive her?" I ask, horror struck.

"Because she was young and foolish. She loved Wilson so she blindly disregarded me and went for him the second he offered. I don't blame her. Her vision was clouded. All she could probably think about was how handsome and hot he was or whatever. Anyway, she may have apologized but Wilson never did. He is a jerk. So full of himself."

I stood up, "I think," I announce, "That I would like the visit this York Institute of yours Eddie Branwell."

"What?" Eddie looks flabbergasted, "You can't do that!"

After many years of Shadowhunter training multiplied by standing up for myself at the Institute had left me with a great deal of stubbornness and self confidence. Nothing bothers me. Ruth always tells me that it's a damn good thing I don't have parents because if I did I would get in so much trouble for doing everything that I do.

So naturally, Eddie doesn't know what he was in for when he says that I can't go to the York Institute.

"I do what I want," I reply stiffly, "I'm going and the least you could do is escort my _parabatai _and I there."

Eddie pales, "Zoe?"

I roll my eyes. Another lover boy for Zoe.

"Yes. Zoe. Now come. We're going to see Ruth."

"Ok- Wait. You said you were a Herondale? Right?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

Eddie hesitates before answering, "Um. I thought Herondales had… I didn't know Herondales had red hair. That's a Fairchild trait."

"I guess someone knows their Shadowhunter families. My mother was a Fairchild. My dad was a Herondale. Got a problem with those families?"

Eddie flinches, "No. Not at all."

"Good answer. Let's go."

I stride confidently out of the room, leaving him gaping at my wake.


	2. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Ok, so this is not a chapter but a short note from your author.

I would like to apologize that I haven't updated. When I posted the first chapter, I only had that chapter written. I have a busy life but I'm trying to work on Chapter 2 whenever I can. But count on it being uploading in two weeks at most. I don't want to rush quality. I figured you'd rather wait and get a good chapter than not wait and get a crappy chapter.

Again, I apologize. Hope you like the story. If you read chapter one, I beg you to review what you thought because feedback will motivate me to write faster.

So long my readers

~Skye


	3. Chapter 2

"Zoe! Zoe!" I called while banging on Zoe's door.

She comes out a minute later, her black hair sticking out at different angles, "What?" she says grouchily. I almost regret disturbing her. Almost.

"We're going to York." I said cheerfully.

"What does that even mean? I don't know what the hell York is."

"It's in the UK." I recite slowly, "Eddie used to live there. Me, you, Nate, and Eddie are going to go there to investigate something. We leave in two days…"

"Oh," Zoe said, looking disgruntled, "Come in then." She opens the door wide enough so that I can slip through.

Zoe's room, although it's always a mess, looks worse than ever. Clothes, gear, and weapons alike are strewn everywhere. I make the mistake of not looking where I'm going and step on a giant doubled edged knife.

Hearing my cry of pain, Zoe turns around, looking distracted, "Uh.. yeah. Watch out for the knife." Then she plopped down on the bed, "I already knew that we were going. But we're not leaving yet and besides, Ruth has to get the idea approved by the Clave. And they'll never say yes."

"That's why I'm in here. They did say yes."

"What?" Zoe looks shocked, "Why?"

I shrug, "I have no clue. I told Ruth about my idea last night and she was kind of desperate, so she agreed to propose the idea to the Clave. Then, this morning, they replied and said that they would give us permission to do it."

Zoe whistled, "I wasn't under the impression that they trusted you too much."

"No, they don't. But they trust you. And Nate, too."

"That," she replied, laughing, "Is a huge miscalculation."

We both laugh and then she turns to me, her face serious.

"Skye, do you trust Eddie?"

"Yeah, I do. So does Ruth. And the Clave."

"Why though? He could have just stolen the name Branwell, knowing it was a well known Shadowhunter name. He could have made up the story about Sam Lovelace. I mean, he could be some unknown Morgenstern seeking revenge for Valentine's and Sebastian's death."

I flinch, "Those Morgensterns are all dead, Zoe. And you do realize that you're speaking of my Uncle and Grandfather?"

"Oh," Zoe says, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't- well actually I did, but I didn't know you cared for them."

I stand up, "I don't care for them. But you make it sound like all of the Morgensterns are bad. They're not. You don't know. When I first found out that I had Morgenstern blood in me, I went straight to the library and looked up all I could find about them. And not all of them are bad. And there are some still alive. They live in Sweden, running the Stockholm Institute."

"I didn't know," Zoe says, looking frightened, "I thought the family was extinct."

"Well, they're not," I said as I left her room, slamming the door behind me.

I turn to head to the training room, which is where I always go when I'm mad, but my path is blocked by someone.

"Hi Nate," I say, letting out a puff of air, "How was Idris?"

"Grand," he says, sighing, "Did you know both of your brothers are there now?"

"What?!" I ask, agast.

"Yep. They are. Colin still lives in Amatis Herondale's old house and Alec recently moved into the Herondale residence with Selene."

"With… Selene? Can't Selene just live at the Whitelaw residence?" Selene is Nate's older sister. Her and my brother have been dating. They both lived at the Sydney Institute for a long time. But… they didn't share a room or anything.

"They're engaged." Nate replies shortly.

The first feeling that hits me is annoyance. My own brother is engaged and I had to find out through his fiance's brother.

"And how come I didn't know this?" I ask, practically spitting.

Nate runs a hand through his hair, "Skye… you know how your brothers are. They don't consider you a Herondale. They refer to you as a Fairchild with none of their obedience to the Law."

This makes me angry, "What do they think I'm doing here? Summoning demons and angels? Having affairs with Downworlders?"

Nate holds up his hands in defense, "I didn't say it. They did. If you must know, they even made me promise to watch you. To make sure you didn't break any laws."

"Are you going to?"

"Hell no. I've practically grown up with you. You take care of yourself just fine. And as far as I'm concerned, you haven't broken any laws."

"I haven't," I reply grouchily, "And you can tell them-"

Nate shook his head, "Don't finish that sentence. Skye, I'm not conspiring against you with your brothers. They just are always talking to me and Alec brought him and Selene up and I asked if you knew and, well, that's where the nasty comments came in."

"My brothers," I say savagely, "Are the ones who aren't Herondales. My mother would despise them. I just know it. She would be sorry to call them her own."

"I thought you didn't know your mother." Nate was clearly confused.

"I didn't. But I did research on her."

"Oh," was all Nate said. Then he sighed, "Well, I was kind of looking for Zoe before I ran into you, so, if you would happen to know where she is…"

"She's in her room," I say shortly and then I step aside for Nate to pass.

-LINE BREAK-LINE BREAK-

I heaved my bag onto my bed. It was big, black, and had the initials _WH _inscripted on it. When I was around ten, I had asked Ruth who that was. She had logically pointed out that the _H _must stand for Herondale. But she wasn't exactly sure who. So, I had gone to the library and researched the Herondales. I narrowed it down to a few but eventually came to the conclusion that it must stand for Will Herondale, the only Herondale whose first initial was _W _that had lived somewhat recently.

I treasured the bag because it was one of the few Herondale family "artifacts" that I could stake a claim to, one of the few that did not belong to my brothers.

I then went to my closet and began pulling out clothes at random. Many of them were hand-me-downs from various Shadowhunters that had lived at the Institute in the last twenty five years. I pulled out leather jackets, black tank tops, black jeans, hoodies, and gear. Once I had pulled out what I deemed a sufficient amount of clothing, I sorted through what I would need and what I wouldn't need for York.

We would be going for about a week, but of course, there would be things to wash the clothes with. Eventually, I had a stack consisting of five pairs of jeans of various colors (mainly black), four tank tops, two t-shirts, one leather jacket, one hoodie, two sets of gear, and of course, my trusty blue high tops but I couldn't pack those yet because, well, I would have to wear them there.

Most Shadowhunters wore combat boots or some sort. I wore bright blue Converse high tops. Why? I honestly don't know. I don't have a problem with combat boots, I guess I just prefer high tops. That and I want to show the Clave that although I serve them, I don't have to be uniform. I'm a Shadowhunter, not a Girl Scout.

I'm in the midst of shoving everything into a bag when there is a knock at the door.

"Skye…" Ruth's voice floats through the room, sounding unusually timid.

"Come in," I say, not really paying much attention.

"Using Will Herondale's bag I see. Would your brothers approve Miss Herondale?" The voice I hear is a cold one, one that definitely does not sound like Ruth. I turn.

Standing in front of me is a woman with jet black hair wearing a black cloak and jeans. She looks to be in her late twenties. Her eyes are a startling grey. I recognized her from pictures.

"Nightshade…" I say, my voice trailing off, "And no, they probably wouldn't approve but it doesn't matter what they think."

She smiles, "Well spoken. And I can see you recognize me. My name is Eva Nightshade, slayer of Lilith. I have removed myself from the world of Shadowhunting since the deadly war. But I have returned."

I cleared my throat, "Um, welcome back."

She flashes a smile, "Do you want to know why I came back?"

"Actually, yes. All the books I read said that you were dead, that the void of demons was unleashed upon you and killed you."

Eva grinned an evil grin, "I see my workers have done their job." She turned to Ruth, "Ruth Lightwood, thank you for your kindness. If you could give us a moment… or perhaps more than that."

Ruth bowed her head, "Of course."

Once she had left, Eva looked at me intently.

"I came back," she began, her gaze never wavering from my face, "because of you. You interest me Skye Lydia Herondale."

"Me… interest… you?" I gave a short laugh, "Why?"

"You remind me of myself. When I was a small girl, I was always told I was weak and sickly. Not good enough. But I pushed through and amounted to greatness."

"I'm not sickly though. My brothers… they despise me because I'm _strong._"

Eva shrugged, "It is truly the same thing. That's what is funny about opposites. When you think about it, they are not really different at all. They are the same thing in a different form." She was quiet for a moment, pondering this.

"You are wise Lady Nightshade," I said, not just to kiss up. She is wise. I always admired her in the books I read.

Eva, however, generally ignored this, "Skye, you come from a family rich in Shadowhunter names. You father was a Herondale, but was raised by Lightwoods. Your grandfather on your mother's side was a Morgenstern. Your grandmother on your mother's side was a Fairchild by birth but she remarried to a Graymark. You could have chosen any of these names. And you chose Herondale. Why is this?"

"I feel like… I am most like the Herondales. They are stubborn and honest. I felt like those were good virtues to make mine."

"But you look most like a Fairchild." Eva said thoughtfully.

This kind of ticked me off. I stood up, suddenly angry.

"This is stupid!" I hissed, "You say you came back to meet me, but yet you annoy me with pointless questions about my last name of all things. You're no better than the rest of them. Do you think I'm not fit to be a Herondale? That I am not worthy of my name? Cause someday, I'm going to prove that wrong. You will just be one more person who will be wrong. And I don't care."

Eva smiled, "Such spirit. Maybe you are fit to be a Herondale. Before I leave though, I have one thing to give you." She reached into her pocket and revealed a silver ring, much like the Lightwood family ring that Ruth wore.

Eva held it out and I took it from her outstretched hand. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it had a pattern of herons going around it. The symbol of the Herondale family.

"Is this…" I began.

Eva waved an impatient hand, "Yes. It is the true Herondale family ring. It was believed to be lost centuries ago. But that is all false. It was kept secret in the Nightshade family, for we have a grudge against you Herondales." She ended abruptly.

"Can I keep it?" I asked.

"It is rightfully yours." Eva said firmly. Then she made her way to the door. She opened it, nodding her head to me on the way out.

"Good bye for now Skye Herondale. I believe we will meet again."

With that, she was out the door, her black cloak billowing behind her.

-LINE BREAK-LINE BREAK-

Ruth came into my room about 10 minutes after Eva had left. She walked in to find me on my bed, sweating and clutching the Herondale ring to my chest.

"Skye," she said, closing the door behind her, "What-What did Eva need? I was reluctant to let her in, but she didn't seem to have any bad intentions…"

I smile weakly, putting the ring down, "I'm fine Ruth. Just… kind of shocked is all. Lady Nightshade was very… personal, I guess. She kept asking me who I really was, which annoyed me. And then she gave me this." I shoved the silver Herondale ring into her hand. Ruth sucked in a breath.

"Skye, what is this?"

"It's the Herondale family ring. The one that was lost. Apparently the Nightshades had it all this time. They kept it because they had a grudge against the Herondales. But Eva gave it to me. Frankly, I'm not quite sure what to do with it."

Ruth smiled and placed the ring back in my hand, "Keep it. And treasure it. Eva has given you a great gift, do not lose it."

Slightly confused, I placed the ring on my finger. I never wore jewelry. It was easily lost and it got in the way during fights. But somehow, this ring was different. It showed who I was. I almost wanted to storm into Idris and shove it right in Colin and Alec's faces. Almost.

Ruth stood up, looking proud, "Are you packed for York?"

"Yeah… well, I still need weapons. But for the most part, yes." I reply.

"Good, because I have to show you something. It seems Eva Nightshade wasn't the only one who intended to give you a gift today."

Frowning, I followed Ruth out the door and down the hallway to her office. Once inside her office, she opened the door to the small weapon stock she kept. After rummaging around for a bit, she produced a small dagger sheathed in a heavy leather sheath. Ruth handed it to me and after further examination, I saw that the leather was covered in angelic runes. Only angelic runes, nothing more. Dozens and dozens of them covered the sheath.

I glanced up at Ruth, looking for an explanation.

"It is an… an _aegis_." she said, looking a bit uncomfortable.

I immediately dropped the dagger. It tumbled to the floor.

"A _what_?" I ask, agast, "An _aegis_?! Ruth, do you know how dangerous those are? They're soaked and tempered in angel blood!"

"Well, you are part angel," she replied stoutly, "And look at the name."

I picked the dagger up and unsheathed it and silently found the inscription at the bottom. I read it out loud.

"_C. Fray. 2008." _I looked at Ruth, "That's my mother, isn't it?"

Ruth nodded, "Yeah. In the Great Demon War of 2008, a lot of Shadowhunters used _aegises_. Since they carry the taint of angel blood, it made killing the demonic Shadowhunters easier. So the Iron Sisters began mass producing them and after the war, most were returned to them. But it seems that this one was kept. I found it when I was sorting through the weapons and, well, it was your mothers… I thought it should be yours."

I resheathed the dagger and strung it on my belt, "Thanks Ruth."

"No problem. Now, you should probably finish getting weapons ready for your trip."


	4. Chapter 3

I stood near the doors to the Institute with Nate, Eddie, and Zoe. Jacob Highsmith stood behind us.

"Remember," he said, "Go to Magnus Bane's house. He will open a portal for you there. And once you arrive in York, Eddie will direct you to the meeting place. A messenger from the York Institute will meet you there and bring you to their institute."

I roll my eyes and wish for the thousandth time that Ruth was the one sending us off and not Jacob. But no. She is occupied with Clave business about the return of Eva Nightshade.

Zoe, who is obviously annoyed too, grabs my arm and pulls me out the door. Nate and Eddie follow.

"Thanks Jacob. But we got it. Bye." she says all to cheerfully.

Our quartet heads down the street towards the house of the High Warlock of Britain. Magnus Bane.

Once we reach his place, we knock on the door. A man with black hair and blue eyes answers the door. He looks… well, he looks like Ruth.

Zoe seems to have noticed the resemblance too, "You're not Magnus." she declares loudly, "Who are you?"

He calmly looks her up and down, "Zoe Lightwood, you of all people should recognize me. I'm your uncle. Alec Lightwood."

Zoe's mouth flops open, "Simon never told me my mother had a brother."

Alec smiles, "So you get to see Simon. And talk to him. That's good. Don't worry. Someday you will get to meet my dear sister."

"I don't want to meet my mother," Zoe snarled, "She abandoned me at birth because the Clave discovered she was married to a Downworlder."

The corner of Alec's mouth twitches slightly, "I see Simon hasn't told you the whole story. Too heartbroken, I assume. Nevertheless, you will discover the truth eventually. But come in. Magnus is waiting for you."

Zoe rolls her eyes and shoves past him into the apartment. Nate, Eddie, and I follow. Sitting in a chair just inside the apartment is a man with black hair that sticks up at weird but oddly natural angles.

"Magnus Bane," Zoe growls, "You'd better make a portal for us quick. Your _husband _is… is getting on my nerves."

The corners of Magnus's mouth go up, "Shadowhunters. So vulnerable. To love is to destroy, huh?"

His words hit me like a punch in the chest. I gasp, much louder than I intended to. Magnus takes his eyes off of Zoe to look at me.

"Skye Herondale," he says, sounding amused, "I know your family quite well. Yes, I suppose it would be inevitable. Fear of love. I bet you haven't even realized that you fear it yet?"

"I-I, uh," I stutter, "Just get us through your fricken portal." I shoot back, regaining my composure.

"As you wish," Magnus replies smoothly. He gets up from his chair and retreats into his apartment, beckoning for us to follow. He leads us into a small room with no furniture.

Nate snorts, "Wow Bane. Is this like your portal room?"

"Yep," Magnus says calmly without even turning to look at Nate. About a minute later, a spiraling portal appears in the "portal room".

"Well," Magnus gestures expectantly, "Jump on through."

Zoe shoots him a look of disgust, "Ruth tells me to always say thank you for stuff like this… so thank you. But I still despise Alec. And I've only just met him." She takes a step closer to the portal.

Magnus nods his head, "Ruth did a good job raising you. But it's never too late to open up to other people. I'm always here to talk if you want to hear the truth."

Zoe's stone expression falters for a second but then she jumps in the portal and disappears.

Eddie steps up next.

"Thank you for your help, Magnus Bane," he says. Then he too jumps in and disappears. Nate then jumps in right after Eddie and then it's just Magnus and I.

"Skye Herondale." He says, "I have helped many of your ancestors. I could help you too."

I shake my head, "No. I need to solve things myself."

"If you must. But if you are to trust anyone, trust Eva Nightshade." I stare at him. He bows slightly, "Until we meet again Herondale."

I step through the portal and I am sent spiraling through time and dimensions until I finally stop spinning and find myself on a ground of wet grass.

"Hurry up Skye," says a snarky voice. Zoe.

A hand appears in front of my face. I grab it and Nate pulls me up. I survey my surroundings. We are in a large hill of… grass. Off in the distance, I see a relatively large church-like building. Zoe and Eddie standing near the hill's edge. I walk over and join them.

"Hello Skye," Eddie says, "Zoe and I were just trying to figure out the best way to reach the Institute." He points to the large building that I noticed before.

"I'm thinking we should avoid Ravenscar Manor," Eddie continues, gesturing to another building to our left, "It used to be the house of Edmund and Linette Herondale but they died and no other Herondales ever put a claim on the place. So now it has turned into a Downworlder hangout."

"Edmund and Linette Herondale…" I mused.

"Yes, probably some ancestors of yours," Eddie said thoughtfully.

"Why avoid the manor? Downworlders won't bother us." Nate asks.

Eddie smirks, "Well, out here, there's no one to stop them from going bad. So those are rogue Downworlders. Mainly faeries."

"Well, at least they can't lie," I say. Nate starts to laugh but quickly stops after a patronizing look from Zoe.

Eddie sighs and glares at me, "As I was saying, we should avoid the manor. The most direct path to the Institute would be to go right down this hill and take that path to the right." As he explains the route, he gestures our path with his hands.

Zoe shrugs, "Sounds good to me. Let's go. We want to get there before sunset."

Eddie suddenly looks very scared, "Yes. That… would definitely be in our best interest." He begins hurrying down the hill with surprising agility. Zoe follows, then me, then Nate.

We walk for what feels like hours (but probably isn't). The closer it gets to dark, the quicker Eddie seems to walk. I want to ask what happens at sunset but now doesn't seems like the time. We are almost to the York Institute when the sun begins to set.

Eddie's face turns sheet white, "Run." he says decisively.

I look around me but can't see anything, "Eddie, what the hel-" He clamps a hand over my mouth before I can finish.

"Just do it," he hisses, "I'll explain later."

So we run the last 400 meters to the Institute. When we reach it, Eddie throws open the doors and ushers us through then slams them closed, breathing heavily.

"Well, well, well," says a sauntering voice, "The Shadowhunter came back."

I look up to see a tall, muscular, blonde haired boy walking, no, _strutting_, into the room.

"Wilson," Eddie says in annoyance.

_Ah, _I think_, So this is the boy that stole Eddie's girlfriend. The one he hates so much._

"I watched all of you running across the plain from my window. Still afraid of the sunset? I would be." he smirks, "Hey Eddie. How come your new buddies are so quiet? Aren't they going to introduce themselves?" Wilson looks at all of us and smirks again.

"Wilson Ravenscar, " I say boldly, stepping forward, "I've heard… so much about you. My name is Skye Herondale. Ever heard of it?"

The power of my words only has a slight affect on Wilson.

"I believe I have," he says casually, "I knew your brother. Colin? Nice guy. I used to live near him when I lived in Idris. Never seemed too keen on you though. Wonder why. You're awfully pretty…"

_Oh. _I've had plenty of boys, mainly Downworlders, try to flirt with me. They usually end up worse for the wear but that doesn't make it any less annoying.

Everyone's eyes are on me. Seeing how I'll react. I take a step forward and shove a quick punch into Wilson's jaw and another into his chest before he has time to move.

When he finally does, he aims for my face but hits air. I am already behind him. I stick my foot between his and tug. He tumbles to the floor in a heep. He tries to get up but I give him a solid kick to the stomach and he groans and falls back down.

"Next time you try to flirt with someone," I say, "Make sure that they're not a well-trained Shadowhunter."

Wilson groans again and pushes himself up. This time, I don't stop him. The battle is already won.

"Bitch," he snarls and storms out of the room.

"I think you mean Herondale," I call after him, smirking. He doesn't turn back.

"Well done Skye!" Zoe cheers, "You really showing him!"

"Yes, well done Skye," Nate mutters, "You've made an enemy and we've only been here ten minutes."

I glare at him, "You saw what he tried to do! Was I just supposed to stand there and take it?"

This time, it's Eddie that reprimands me.

"Yes, you were. Not everything has to be a fight." he says with a sigh, "Now let's go find my sister."

LINE BREAK-LINE BREAK-

Eddie's sister turns out to be a small, perky thirteen year old girl named Susan. When she saw Eddie, she immediately detached herself from the arms of another boy and leaped onto Eddie in a very enthusiastic hug.

"You're back! I knew that you'd come back!" she squeals.

"I would never leave you hear Susy. But I'm not here to stay. I-we- are here for a reason." Eddie glances at me, implying that I should explain our purpose for being here.

I cut right to the chase, "Which one of you is Sam Lovelace?"

The tall boy that Susan had been sitting near before timidly raises his hand, "Ah, uh, that would be me."

I regard him calmly, "We are here on the matter of your last name- the Lovelace name. The family supposedly went extinct in the mid 1880's. The last member was Jessamine Lovelace. She died at age 17 from a weapon wound sustained during the battle after her release from the Silent City which she was in because of her conviction as being a spy for Axel Mortmain and Nathaniel Gray. Her ghost supposedly resides at the London Institute and as far as is known, ghosts are unable to breed and reproduce."

Sam looks stunned, "How do you know all this? Who are you?"

Susan walks over and puts an arm around him, "Whatever you're getting at, Sam is not guilty of anything. It's not his fault that his mother somehow managed to… to do the impossible."

I ignore her, "I am Skye Lydia Herondale, daughter of the late Jace and Clary Herondale, heroes of the Demon War of 2007. I know this information because at my institute, there happens to be a incredibly helpful library."

Sam's innocent face tenses up and transforms into vicious scowl, "You… you _bitch_!"

I cross my arms across my chest and sigh, "Seriously? Can none of you think of a better insult than bitch? Cause I've got news for you. A bitch is a female. I am a female. Therefore, I am a bitch. Thank you very much. Now, on with the investigation. Zoe, do your job please."

Zoe smiles and nods. She pulls the scroll from her backpack and begins reading it, "Samuel Henry Lovelace, current Shadowhunter of the Yorkshire Institute. Your information is needed by the New York Conclave to fulfill our investigation regarding Jessamine Lovelace, former Shadowhunter of the London Institute. It is vital that you tell the recipient of your information, Zoe Maryse Lightwood, current Shadowhunter of the New York Institute, all facts regarding the investigation that you know. As a Shadowhunter, you are honor bound by the Clave to do so. Signed, Ruth Abigail Lightwood (Lightwood Council Seat) and Jacob Michael Highsmith (Son of Consul Caroline Highsmith), Heads of the New York Institute." Upon finishing the letter, Zoe gives an expectant look to Sam whose gaze falters instantly.

Susan steps in front of him protectively, "I don't care about the Clave and your fancy signatures. Sam didn't do anything wrong. And he doesn't have to talk about anything he doesn't want to talk about."

Sam silently reaches forward and pushes down Susan's protective arms, "It's okay Susy." He turns to Zoe, "You are correct. It is my duty to the Clave to provide any information that I know about your investigation."

Zoe nods approvingly, "Thank you. I'm glad that you can recognize your duty. Follow me, I have some questions to ask you."

Just as they are about to leave, Nate grabs Sam's shoulder, "Man, you do realize that we aren't interrogating you cause you're a criminal. We're asking you because you could have valuable information. We have… different methods for criminals."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah. If you were a criminal, we wouldn't have asked you. We would have brought more weapons and dragged you to the Silent City by force. This is a _peaceful _and _friendly_ interrogation."

Nate sighs, "Not how I'd put it, but yes." he looks Sam dead in the eye, "We cool dude?"

Sam hesitates, then cracks a smile, "Yeah," he says, "We're cool."

Once Sam and Zoe leave the room, Susan gives an exaggerated sigh.

"You people are _soo _dramatic." she says.

Eddie ignores her and looks around, "Susy," he begins, sounding worried, "Where's Lucy? I haven't seen her."

Susan bits her lip, "She left the Institute. She's living in Paris with an aunt of hers. Aline Penhallow."

"Susy, why did she leave?" Eddie sounds cautious.

Susan looks like she's going to cry, "Bad things are happening!" she blurts out, "The rogue Downworlders. They're coming for the Institute."

**Thanks to those who review. It motivates me to write faster.**

**But seriously, tell me what you think. I would like to thank Scarlet Sapphire Angel 15 for the constant review. (cool penname, by the way)**

**Also, thank you to SomehowImSurviving for the huge compliment. But I'm definitely not Cassandra Clare. Skye's parents really are Jace and Clary. Never you fear my readers.**

**So long and thanks for taking the time to view my story!**

**~Skye**


	5. AUTHOR'S UPDATE

Okay, this isn't really a chapter. I just wanted to give an explanation for my lack of updates.

So, I recently started another fanfiction. But I really like where Looking to the Skye is going and I want to keep writing it. I have decided that I'm going to rotate. I'll write a chapter of my other fanfiction, then write one for LTS. I will go back and forth. Unfortunately, this means less frequent updates but I assure you, I'm still writing this story.

So long my readers

~Skye


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